BJP to expand its support base in Odisha, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Tripura by focusing on its ideology: Amit Shah

Kolkata: BJP president Amit Shah says BJP will expand its support base in Odisha, West Bengal Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Tripura by focusing on its ideology and strengthening the party functioning at the booth levels. BJP’s National president Amit Shah said this while addressing a press conference in Kolkata on his second day of visit to West Bengal

Under the Pt. Deendayal Centenary Karya Vistarak Yojana, I am also working for party’s expansion at the booth levels for three days each in the states of West Bengal,Odisha, Telangana, Lakshadweep and Gujarat says Shri Amit Shah

Amit Shah said that the unprecedented victory of the BJP in all the three municipal corporations of Delhi is a result of the pro-poor policies and developmental achievements of the central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi over the past three years. He said that the people of Delhi have put a stamp of approval on the creditable performance of the central government under Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and have reiterated abiding faith in Prime Minister’s leadership.

He said after the stupendous victories in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa, stupendous success in Delhi’s municipal polls have given further momentum to the BJP’s and prime minister’s Vijay Rath. He said that by giving a big mandate to the BJP, people of Delhi have signaled that negative and excuse-based politics will be defeated while positive politics and inclusive development-centric politics alone triumphs. For the party’s unprecedented victory, he heartily thanked the people of Delhi and congratulated Delhi state BJP President Shri Manoj Tiwari and all party cadres who worked for party’s success under his leadership.

On West Bengal Visit & Trinamul government’s non-performance

BJP’s National President said that under Deendayal Jansatabdi Karya Vistarak Yojana, over 3.5 lakh party’s volunteers would be working for promoting party’s ideology and expansion at the booth level from 15 days to a year. He said that in states like West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Tripura BJP will expand its support base by focusing on its ideology and strengtheneing the party functioning at the booth levels. He has informed that he was visiting West Bengal as a part of his fortnight long travel to five states for strengthening the BJP’s organization at the polling booth levels under the Pt. Deendayal Karya Vistarak Yojana. He has informed that he has visited polling booth No. 93 in Naxalbari village in North Bengal on the first day of his visit and stated that the BJP is receiving unprecedented pubic support in all places in North Bengal.

Shri Amit Shah said that the present situation in West Bengal is worrisome. He said that the people of Bengal were hopeful of development when the long reign of the Left front ended in the state but after 6 years of rule by Trinamul government, people are completely disillusioned. He said that at the time of independence, West Bengal was a major contributor to the nation’s development but it has now reduced to a paltry 4%. Earlier the Left Front and now the Trinamul governments have presided over a rapid decline of Bengal’s contribution.

Citing some important statistics, Shri Amit Shah said that the West Bengal’s debt burden was a staggering 1,92,000 crore when the Left Front demitted office and it has further worsened to an astronomical 3,50,000 crore under the Trinamul government. Shri Amit Shah lamented that corruption is continuing unabated in West Bengal. In the name of simplicity, rampant corruption is being promoted in every respect. Be it in Sharada (chit fund scam) or Narada, scam-hit Trinamool Congress, people of West Bengal are seeking accountability from this government but the Trinamul government is unable to even answer tough questions.

Shri Shah highlighted that West Bengal had 18% share in national bank deposits at the time of independence. This came down to 12.8% during the Left Front rule and in the Mamata Banerjee’s government this has fallen further to its lowest level of 6.3%. In West Bengal, the investment under FDI is below 2%. Even in electricity consumption, West Bengal is 30% lower than national average. West Bengal has recorded a decline in manufacturing sector. Every fifth person in the state is poor, the agricultural growth is very low and even laborers’ condition is very grim.

Shri Amit Shah said that the kind of politics of appeasement being practised in West Bengal is a frontal attack on the culture and tradition ofd West Bengal. People of West Bengal are extremely angry and upset over this appeasement politics. He said that it is unthinkable that High Court’s permission may have to be sought for Durga Puja Murti Visarjan. Can the Trinamul government not provide security for Saraswati Puja? This makes clear the politics of discrimination practiced by the Trinamul government.

He said that the Trinamul Congress has become a laughing stock throughout the country by vehemently opposing demonetisation. Trinamul government in the state has miserably failed in controlling fake currency and stopping illegal immigration of Bangladeshis. There was a time when West Bengal was the nerve-centre of the businesses but today, all the industries and businesses are down, only bomb-making factories are thriving. Today, the sounds of bomb blasts ring louder than the Ravindra Sangeet. Whether it is the murder in Juravpura or the massacre of January 2016 or the violence in Mednipur in October 2016, people of West Bengal are extremely angry and upset.

Shri Amit Shah said that the central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken several decisions for the development of West Bengal. He said that under the UPA government, the 13th Finance Commission had awarded Rs. 13,539 Crore to West Bengal, while under the NDA government, 14th Finance Commission has awarded almost three times that amount to West Bengal. He said that the NDA government has given 34,732 crore under grant-in-aid while the erstwhile UPA government had given only 9520 crore. He said that a revenue deficit grant of Rs. 11760 crore has been given by the NDA government, while no such assistance was given when the UPA was in power. Compared to the 1263 crore given by the UPA government, Modi government has given this year under state disaster grant. Under Local bodies grant, west Bengal has received Rs. 20,882 crore from the NDA government while the UPA government had given only 1944 crore.

Shri Amit Shah said that the BJP’s support base is increasing rapidly in the state and cited the recent assembly by-polls where the BJP emerged as the principal opposition registering a huge increase in vote share. With such rapid strides, he exuded confidence that the BJP would continue to grow rapidly in the state. He said that the BJP is aiming to emerge as the most popular party in West Bengal winning a large majority of Lok Sabha seats from the state in 2019 polls.

Shri Shah said that the Trinamool Congress’s attempts at wreaking violence on BJP’s cadres to halt its rapid growth in West Bengal would fail miserably. He warned Mamata Banerjee that her party’s undemocratic violent efforts would not succeed and the BJP’s Lotus would bloom in Bengal.

Shri Amit Shah said that after the stupendous victories in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa, the BJP’s cadres in West Bengal will go door-to-door with the slogan of Abki baar Paschim Bengal and bring further glory to the Vijay Rath and victory march of Modiji.

Shri Shah appealed to the people of West Bengal to come along with the BJP to achieve the dream of building Sonar Bangla by becoming partners in the development yatra.